


The Shattered Remains of Glory

by QoLahney



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Angst, Broken Hearts, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Medium Burn, Nord Culture, Romance, Sexual Content, The Companions - Freeform, Unrequited Love, nightingales - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2020-12-15 21:56:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21025352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QoLahney/pseuds/QoLahney
Summary: A story with the Companions, Nightingales featuring the romantic misadventures of an honorable, grumpy warrior and a trickster thief.





	1. Duty is not always glorious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ria and Njada come back from a job. Njada is annoyed and wants to take it off with her young and noble sister.

Ria and Njada were approaching as fast as they could to the Whiterun gates. The weather was growing cold and the exhausted warriors longed to feast at the warmth of Jorrvaskar. They couldn’t wait to tell tales about their battles while drinking an invigorating flagon of mead. 

It was the beginning of Frostfall and a certain festive mood was starting to fill the air of the cold province, transforming young Ria into a homely shield maiden. She would only take jobs that dind’t require her to travel far from the hold and preferred to spend the last days of the year training, perfecting her form, and working on _that Saturalia gift_.

Frostfall was one of the busiest months of the year. There was a raise of criminal activity, usually from bandits who, besides stealing valuables, harassed caravans and travelers to steal food, furs and other stuff that could help them survive the harsh winters of Skyrim. Witches Day was also close and there were reports of covens of Witches, Vampires and Necromancers who caused trouble, some of them even dared to raid small towns, taking alchemy items and kidnapping people.

But this year was _really_ busy, and the Companions found themselves overwhelmed by work. Most of it, requests to recover stolen trinkets, which was unusual... and boring. As the Circle members didn’t bother to participate in this kind of jobs (with the exception of _maybe_ Vilkas), the backlog was getting worse every day, refraining Ria from her personal interests. 

_\- We´re getting close_ \- Njada broke the silence once they reached the stables - _I’m tired of handling these stupid tasks! I swear, if Vilkas or Skjor come again and..._

_\- They probably will, you know? seems like this is the “only” kind of job we’re getting lately_\- Ria cut her off. She was tired of hearing her complains. Njada snorted.

_\- What kind of job is this? I’m a warrior, I didn’t join for getting back useless stuff to people who doesn’t know how to keep it safe_ \- Njada said in her usual annoyed tone.

_\- No one of us did._\- Ria answered rolling her eyes. It has been almost three years since she joined the order and shared the whelps room with Njada. She had learnt fast how to work with her and was used to her hostile ways, knowing perfectly how to avoid being the punch bag of her frustrations. Quite the opposite of Athis, who always fell in her provocations and ended up beaten to the floor. - _Well..._ \- Ria continued, speaking in a lower, almost shy tone- _You know what Vilkas says, these are not the most glorious jobs, but they pay well._

Njada gave her a intimidating gaze. Picturing Vilkas saying his stupid motivational speeches was the last she needed right now.

_\- I’m actually surprised of how much money the people is willing to pay to retrieve an object that, besides sentimental value, didn’t seem to be worth the trouble_\- Ria said, trying to justify her last comment. When Njada didn’t answer, she continued:

_\- Sooo... thinking about it, I could use as much coin as I can get before the year ends._\- She was getting nervous around Njada, who was still looking at her.

_\- Saving money for that special someone, are we?_ \- Njada asked, replacing her hostile gaze with a smirk. _Oh, Damn!_ Ria thought.

_\- Warriors Festival. I want a new armor, new blade maybe._\- Ria answered trying to sound casual, in the hope of Njada dropping the subject. She didn’t.

_\- What about Saturalia? Who are you giving that... what is what you’re doing?_

_\- Nothing. _Ria said in a short and decisive answer.

_\- It doesn’t look like nothing to me, It looks more like a piece of clothing... for a man?_Njada said and Ria just sighted.

_\- What about you? Do you have... someone? _\- Ria asked, not answering Njada’s question. 

_\- Me? No. There is no one here worth loving. And you whelp, would benefit of realizing that too_.

They finally arrived to the Whiterun entrance and Ria felt relieved that Njada didn’t push the subject further. At the sight of a painfully long queue to enter the city, they exchanged looks and headed to the main gate, waving to the guards who sounded already cranky of interrogating people. 

_\- Hail, Companions!_\- Was all they heard before the guards granted them an instant pass to the city.

The respectful greetings always made Ria feel a great sense of pride that made her raise her chin while walking. After returning the gesture to the guard, Njada patted hard her shoulder and said:

_\- Hurry up whelp! Let’s go back and let’s get over with this._ \- She started walking faster towards Jorrvaskar. Ria nodded and fastened her pace to match Njada’s.

_\- Then you can sign up for more of this and ask “him” to go with you next time!_\- Njada scoffed. 

Ria took out a big breath in defeat.


	2. A new player in town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night chase. In Riften, the most important client of the Thieves Guild threatens to leave for the new player in town.

She felt like if she had been running for an eternity. Her only focus was to get the hell out of there. She was starting to feel the fatigue in her legs that begged her to slow down, but the adrenaline that filled her entire body wouldn’t allow her to stop. She was being hunted. 

It was getting darker and she felt some relief, as the shadows were her allies. She decided to listen to the voices in her head and finally slowed her pace. While she bent over in order to catch her breath, the voices advised her to calm down and to start using her cunning. _They were right_, she suddenly realized that the hounds were playing with her, she hasn’t sensed the chase of any wolf since the start of the game. They were probably waiting to see if she tired herself out or if she fell and broke a bone. She felt her blood run hot, she was not going to be an easy prey, she was better than that.

She tried to recover her breath, since the hounds could smell her heartbeat. She now understood that she could not outrun them and was going to give them a fight. They could be stronger and faster but she was smarter, more agile and had the darkness on her side. 

Then a frightening sound interrupted her thoughts: _ a howl after another howl _. And she understood that the hounds decided to end up the advantage they’ve given to her. 

She hid into the shadows, even if she knew that they could still detect her. She moved slow and patiently and when she heard a growl followed by crack of dry leaves, she stopped and sought refuge behind a tree. She turned to see a powerful and frightening creature. A werewolf had tracked her down but looked confused, since he could not see her. He started sniffing around trying to trace her scent. He knew she was close somewhere. 

She studied the creature thoughtfully and saw he was using all of his senses to find her. The hairs of his fur were bristling, his ears moving on every direction they could and his nostrils going wide in every breath. It was a matter of time until he detected her. She started moving slowly, trying to get out from there but stepped on a tree branch, which crack alerted the beast. 

She ran as fast as she could feeling the creature chasing after her. He let out a couple of howls alerting the others that he had found his prey. She pushed her legs faster and when she felt steps getting closer, she changed direction with a swift movement. The beast behind struggled to follow and growled in frustration. 

She lost track of how many times she had averted the beast’s grasp. She had used everything in her reach, from trees to bushes and illusion spells to avoid being caught. She was starting to get weary, while her pursuer seemed tireless. The beast behind seemed to notice her fatigue as he started to grunt mockingly. He waited until he got a bit closer to get her to the ground. But at the moment he struck, she tripped, causing him not just to miss her, but to roll down a hill.

The young woman didn’t loose time, she stood up and thanked her luck, then stepped on the shadows again and ran towards the light. She followed the shadows advice and could evade the other hounds. They were strong, fast and fierce but not as smart as the first one. 

She almost reached her goal when she felt a sudden change in the winds. She looked over her shoulder to see that the first werewolf she encountered had catched up and was approaching fast. 

She began to sprint the fastest she could, but it was too late. The werewolf struck her and this time he succeeded in throwing her to the ground. He pinned her arms down and placed his body on her legs. She tried to get away but the beast was too strong, she was completely at his mercy. At that moment she knew she had lost and was waiting for the beast to rip her heart out of her chest. 

To her surprise, the werewolf stood still, just contemplating at her. It made her feel a shiver travel down her spine. Her heart was pounding fast as he leaned his head towards her, running his nose from her head to her neck, deeply inhaling her scent. She could hear him grinning and tried to throw him off, but nothing worked. She tried hard to scream, but no sound could come out of her throat.

Aghny awoke and gasped at the lack of oxygen circulating her body. It took her some seconds to realize that it all had been a dream. After she calmed down, she tried to go back to sleep, placing her hand on the throbbing vein of her neck.

* * *

_”All has been taken care of”_ \- Maven heard the auburn man say. She was having supper in a table upstairs the _Bee and Barb_, in a discreet corner she fancied when she wanted to discuss _the other_ kind of business.

_”Great!. Cheers for another job well done.”_ \- Maven raised her mug and then took a sip of the mead she manufactured. - _”Please join me, there are other business to discuss”._-

Maven looked at the chair in front of her and gestured the Nord man to sit down. 

_”With pleasure!”_ \- Brynjolf said with a smile once he found himself comfortable.

_”Tell me Brynjolf...”_ \- Maven started to pour mead in an empty tankard - _”Seems... your organization has been busy lately?”_. She gently slipped the tankard to him.

Brynjolf reached for the mug and took a drink to the mead Maven just offered. He never talked about Guild matters with a client, much less if that client was Maven. - _”Nothing we can’t handle. Don’t worry Maven, you know that any business you may need will be always our top priority”_\- He said. 

Brynjolf knew Maven for many years, and was aware that she was always a sensitive matter that had to be handled with care.

_”Glad to hear that!”_.- Maven continued with formalities. She started buttering the bread the argonian waiter had brought just a moment before he arrived.

_”You know, your comeback seems to be inspiring others. I’ve heard a lot of how your line of business had become so ‘popular’ lately”_. Maven made a small pause to chew a piece of bread. -_”What surprises me however, is that you’ve let your competition **thrive**, instead of... you know, handling them ‘the way the Guild does’ ”_-

Brynjolf raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath, he could now see where was this going. -_”We’re well aware of the emerging crooks you’re talking about. But they’re just the same low-lives that raid towns and caravans looking for their own piece of luck. As far as I know they end up in prison caught by the guards, beaten by hired thugs or swiped out by the Companions. They act alone, there is nothing that implies that there is another organization like ours”._

Brynjolf said while leaning on the back of the chair taking a relaxed stance, drinking from the mug in his hand. He took a pause and then continued -_”and the **only ones** we help to thrive are our clients Maven”._ \- He said looking at her to the eyes.

_”I would have believe that if I haven’t been contacted by someone from another... organism. Seems you have another player currently operating under your noses. You know that underestimating a rival is the path of downfall, right?”_\- Maven said in a serious tone and Brynjolf felt scolded, though he didn’t loose his smile.

_”That ‘organism’ or ‘competition’, if that’s how you want to call them, is where we want them to be. The lass wants them to handle the petty jobs, while we can focus on offering the best attention to our most important clients, **like you**”_.- Brynjolf raised his eyebrows and gave her a soft gaze -_”Don’t tell me you feel neglected”_\- He leaned towards her and then said in a sensual tone _-“because if that is the case, I can work on the proper amendments, if you catch my meaning”_

For the smile Maven gave him, he knew he hasn’t lost his charm. 

_”It does not have anything to do with attention”_\- She said.

Brynjolf smiled and leaned towards the back of his chair. He touched his chin, thinking about what to say next. When Maven asked for a meeting, he was expecting a new assignment, not a battle. She was a tough businesswoman and knew it was not going to be easy, tough he was ready to take the fight. After all, he was the best negotiator in, maybe, all Skyrim. But before playing his cards, he wanted to learn more about hers.

_”What have they offered you?”_ \- He asked.

_”Better prices”_ \- Maven said.

_”Coin!?”_\- Brynjolf raised an eyebrow in surprise. Maven was the kind of person that favored power, not savings. -_”And what’s the use of saving a small amount of money if you’ll end up losing more for a badly done job?”_

Maven let out a chuckle, remembering the declining situation of the Guild just a few years ago.- _”I haven’t heard any complain about them yet.”_\- 

Brynjolf couldn’t help feel irritated to the idea of ‘the others’ going after their clients. They were moving fast and were getting a lot of attention. This couldn’t be good, as Maven stated before. But he didn’t let her notice his concern.

_”For now.”_\- Brynjolf said, still with a relaxed, confident tone. _”Falling for the thrill of a new partner, are we?. We both know that what you want, or need, is something that only an experienced partner can do.”_-

Maven softened her gaze and smiled. -_”You know this is nothing personal, It’s just business. I’m just evaluating offers and will take the most appealing.”_-

_”What can be more appealing than the experience and perks that come with our long friendship”?_\- From the expression Maven made, Brynjolf could tell he was getting close to learn what the real issue really was.

_”Listen Brynjolf, I don’t think any of your amendments can fix anything this time if I have **your rivals** performing jobs for **my rivals** against me.”_ \- Maven scolded. -_”Besides, can you still offer those... benefits? I didn’t take your boss as the ‘sharing’ type”_

Brynjolf let out a nervous chuckle.

_”It’s not like I need her permission and... something tells me that a ‘business offer’ is not exactly what the Summerset Shadows gave you when you got the visit.”_

_”So, you know their name.”_ Maven seethed. _”No, they were not being persuasive in a way I’d tolerate. And I’m pissed for that, but it bothers me more that none of you had seen it coming.”_

_Well, you should have said that from the beginning!. We’ll make..._\- Brynjolf said but Maven cut him off. 

_”I don’t like to appear weak before a rival just because my business partner doesn’t know how to handle his!.”- _ Maven snapped _ -“Why did you allow it?, Is your boss even aware of what is happening? Is she even here?”_

Brynjolf stood in silence trying to keep his cool while thinking fast. He respected Maven and could understand her quandary. But how the Thieves Guild handled its rivals was not a matter that should concern her, much less their leader ways. 

_ **”She is” ** _ He said sharp -_”And I’ll make sure she hears **all** of your concerns.”_ Brynjolf started pouring some more mead in Maven’s mug before he filled his. Then he took a piece of the bread she had buttered and chewed it. Maven was still throwing daggers at him, but he acted like if it wasn’t a big deal. He wanted her to calm down before talking again. When he noticed she relaxed a bit he said: ”I know you love my company and to hear my lovely voice, but you could have saved all the talk. We’ll make sure the elves get a clear message of not messing with any of us again, but don’t expect us to wipe them out, those are not our methods.*

Maven rolled her eyes.

_”Is there anything you need from us, It would be on the house?”_ \- Brynjolf asked. That should be enough to appease her.

_“We’ll if you’re offering...”_ \- Maven said, trying to sound humored.

_I’m all ears_ \- Brynjolf said expectantly.

_Take care of Mjoll. Seems she has found a lot of free time lately and uses it to be sniffing around some of my business. I’m running out of patience._

Brynjolf sighted. He was expecting _anything_ but that. Mjoll was the lass’s friend and for that, was out of the reach of the Guild, not matter how annoying she was in her futile effort of _‘cleaning’_ Riften from corruption. 

_”Consider it done”._ \- Brynjolf sighted and Maven smiled. _”Are we good now?”_

_”We are.”_ She said and let out a mischievous chuckle before drinking some more mead. Brynjolf felt for a second the need to ask her what she found so funny, but he held back. 

_”Seems your boss is the one who benefits the most from the perks of our long friendship”._ \- Maven said interrupting Brynjolf’s thoughts. -_“There you are, still soothing things for her. Come on! For how long more are you letting her run wild?, I’ve heard you’re not even ‘that’ close anymore”_

Brynjolf felt his blood run hot. One thing was having her trying to meddle into the Guild, but another was his personal affairs.

_”Listen Maven, It’s not my place to explain the method to her madness. But I assure you, there is no one more reliable than her, do you forget what she had done for you?”_

_”I don’t, and that’s the only reason why I haven’t dealt with Mjoll before. But you cannot blame me if her decisions seem too non-sense for me. I’m just trying to protect my own interests.”_

_”I see.”_

_”So, as I consider you as a friend, I have something else to ask you, if you allow me.”_

_”Go on”_\- Brynjolf felt uneasy, but he granted her permission to continue. 

_”How about you save all those charms and try to use them to make the only woman who can resist you get back to her senses, before the Guild crumbles and we all lose what we’ve worked for, hum?. On the way, get rid of that nuisance of Mjoll, the sooner the better.”_

Brynjolf smiled and finished the mead from his mug. Then he stood with a polite gesture and said: “_Well Maven, It’s been a pleasure but I should go._” He parted from the table fast before Maven could ask something else from him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone!
> 
> When I posted the previous chapter, I wasn’t expecting to have readers and comments so soon, so I thank you for that.
> 
> I’m still working on the summary of the story, and maybe in another title. It has been a bit tricky because, though I have the main ideas, I keep “adjusting” some parts of the plot. So, if it helps, I can give you a fair idea of what this is going to be about: A story involving the Companions, Nightingales and the romantic misadventures of a grumpy (pretty sexy) warrior and a trickster rogue. 
> 
> Regards!


	3. Time to let go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brynjolf gets troubled thinking about the lass. He rembers how they met and reflects about wether or not he should confront her.

Brynjolf left the Bee and Barb and walked along the canal towards the marketplace. He wanted some time to think, so he leaned against the wooden rail to contemplate the water and the sound of dry leaves. It was going to rain, he could tell by the smell of wet air and the constant sway of the trees. He sighed deeply, he still needed to deal with the lass and the conversation with Maven had bothered him beyond his understanding. 

_”As if dealing with Maven wasn’t enough for one day”_ \- He thought. 

He remembered the times when the lass was more _manageable,_ despite her hot-temper. Back then, he was completely captivated by her cheerfulness and admired her passion and dedication.

He could not forget that day in the market when he saw her for the first time. How could he?. A little lass, which pretty face looked awfully cute with her annoyed expresion of being pushed around by everyone, even the beggars. Despite being such a rarity, no one seem to pay much attention to the stranger girl. -_“She could be a good asset”_, - Brynjolf had thought back then, but he quickly dismissed the idea of recruiting her. She looked too pure and innocent for the Guild.

That, however, didn’t stop his eyes to travel through her body, and he had smirked in approval. She had quite a lovely figure to look at. She was about the height of a bosmer, but her body seemed more, _substantious_, than the slender build of elves. She was curvy in every right place.

He wanted to know more about her. He waited for her to pass near his stall to offer one of his _mysterious_ elixirs, with a sales pitch that he used for the solely purpose of impressing any lady that had caught his eye. 

But the lass did’t buy a single word, though she kept playing along. She asked the sort of questions that only a good alchemy connoisseur could make, and he knew she was just waiting for him to screw up. She was subtly dismissing his flirtuos intentions and her questions were becoming more and more challenging. It mattered not. He had plenty of experience with that speech and was pretty proud of how well he had refined it. _The perfect lie_, effective, unquestionable and undiscoverable. Or at least that was what he thought. At some point, she bursted out in laughter and moved away shaking her head, leaving at the middle of his sales pitch and making him feel like a fool. _He had lost_ and he didn’t even know how or when she tricked him.

He dreamt of her that night. 

He checked on her from time to time, and nobody seemed to know much about the stranger girl, only that she was just passing by. Sometimes she caught him looking and he wondered wether he should or should not make a move.

Until one day, when he spotted her sitting in the stone wall at the market, near his vending stall. She seemed to be writing or drawing something in a journal. She was pretty absorbed in that, because it took her a while to notice him. When she did, she returned his smile, though she quickly glanced away to resume what she was doing. She seemed to be avoiding his eyes as if she was making a big effort to resist him. 

He smiled and approached to her offering a _new and genuine_ elixir, one that would give any man the strength and stamina of a saber cat. She rolled her eyes, but had bitten the bait. She said she didn’t know why would she need _something_ like that. He grinned and proceeded with a naughty comment that made her turn red as a tomato. She shot him a glare and closed her journal, then climbed down the wall and pushed past him with such force he didn’t believe someone her size could have. But he was not going to let her go, not yet, not that easily at least.

As she started moving away, he grabbed her gently by the waist and turned her to face him. He had caught her off guard, and before she could react, he leaned towards her and brought his mouth closer to her neck, as if he was going to kiss it. Then he gently turned to her ear and whispered something that made her gasp. He could feel how she surrendered in to his arms, she was _totally at his mercy_, he could tell. He learnt in that moment of her sweet spot in the neck and her _weak one_ for words. Time later, he would use that same tactic whenever he wanted to make her open her legs.

Sometimes he still wondered what would have happen if he just have kissed her and taken her to a room at the closest Inn. Would have everything ended up different? Would have it been for better? Or for worse?

Instead, he bent down to grab the book she had just dropped, along with a card that had a well known symbol to him, a circle within a diamond, the _Thieves Guild shadowmark_. Perplexed, he asked her why she had that. She took the card and turned it over a few times to give it a better look. She finally shrugged and told him that she got it from a guy in the Reach, that she was suppose to deliver it somewhere, but had completely forgotten where or to whom. _“I just keep it as a bookmark”_\- She said. 

But he knew what it was, and he couldn’t believe she had it. Sometimes, beggars around the cities offered jobs to certain people. Jobs that were cautiosly crafted to test all the thieving abilities of a person. If the prospect carried away the job without any problem, he was granted a card like that, and was told to deliver it to a Brynjolf in Riften. That card represented a direct pass to the Thieves Guild and the beggar who gave it received a sum of money for the referral, though the prospect wasn’t necessary aware of all that. 

Brynjolf frowned, not really believing someone like that girl would be able to complete the job at Markarth, which was the most difficult of all. Probably Degaine just wanted to outsmart the Guild to get some money.

There was just _one_ way to know, and Brynjolf decided to test her at once. He invited the lass to get some drinks at the Bee and Barb, where he offered her another job. If she was able to get the card from Degaine, then she would have to be a talented thief. The Guild desperately needed someone whose skills could compensate their streak of bad luck.

The lass seemed disconcerted and pretty disappointed at his change of attitude, but she agreed to do it. She asked him a ton of questions and was very curious about details he didn’t think could be of any use. Then, when they went out back to the market, Brynjolf returned to his vending stall and the lass picked a discreet spot under a tree, where she could have a complete view of the area. 

She pretended to be reading a book while observing the market, people, guards and exit routes. And just when Brynjolf thought she was going to quit, she approached to him and requested the distraction. 

Brynjolf started calling everyone to sell an elixir, this time, he used a sales pitch full of holes, but with enough credibility that would keep people asking questions. And while he was entertaining the crowd, she sneaked to one of the stalls and lock-picked the master safe-box of the jewelry’s vendor, then walked through the people and planted a ring into an oblivious dark elf’s pocket, all in plain daylight. 

He was impressed, she carried out the job superbly and showed confidence and naturalness, as if she perfectly knew what she was doing or had a lot of practice with it. He hadn’t seen such a graceful performance in at least, many years.

Brynjolf deeply regretted not having gone further with her at that moment, everything about the lass aroused him. But he had new plans for the young girl, and he _should have sticked to them_. He recruited her and took her under his wing, mentored her, helped her become the master thief she was now. 

It didn’t take her long to impress the rest of the guild members with her skills and dedication. She was pretty clean and tactical, and the Guild started to see money flowing by. 

But there was one little problem. Despite her talent and cute looks, the lass seemed to be a bit, temperamental. Sometimes she acted arrogant and used to get angry if she had to be paired with someone she considered less capable than her. She also had a bit of rivalry with Vex that sometimes made the environment at the Flagon tense.

But none of that represented a bigger issue than her relationship with Mercer. She used to question every decision he made, and in times, disobeyed direct orders, which only fueled the irritability of the previous Guild-master. Even if the lass proved herself to be competent and pretty productive, Mercer blamed her for things that had nothing to do, making the situation even worse between them. 

Probably the lass always suspected about Mercer, or maybe he just felt frustrated that she didn’t obey him without question, or that she proposed other ideas, _better ones_, that made his leadership look bad. Brynjolf would always have to intervene to sooth things out to avoid Mercer cut the throat of their newest and quite untamed talent. 

At the beginning she was worth all that trouble, but now, he didn’t know. Maven was right, the lass have been getting too absent to manage the Guild and her latest decisions seemed to be, quite unorthodox. What bothered him the most was that she didn’t listened to him or sought his advice anymore. He felt helpless.

The conversation with Maven just made him realize how much time he had been avoiding to confront the lass. _Why has that been?_. It’s not that he was scared of her or of how would she react. Brynjolf was used to deal with angry people and in a way, he liked to see her upset. She looked cute and made him remember how well he used to work all that anger out in bed. -“_She’s all fire when she gets like that_”- He smirked.

Brynjolf felt a cold breeze and picked a dry leaf from the ground. He contemplated it for a moment before he felt the first drops of rain. 

“_Guess it’s time to..._”- Brynjolf sighed and closed his eyes, picturing the image of the lass the first time when he met her. He could see her, moving away and glancing back to him with that naughty smile that drove him so crazy. 

He smiled sadly and finally let the dry leaf go away with the wind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pheew, finally, Chapter 3. 
> 
> I know what you may going to say. This looks more like a Brynjolf romance story instead of one of Vilkas. But I couldn’t let outside the relationship they had or for further chapters, since Bryn was such an influential person for my OC.
> 
> There will be Vilkas in the next chapter, promess :)


	4. Not in the way you want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vilkas tries to teach the whelps a lesson and in Riften, Brynjolf finally decides to confront his boss.

Vilkas awoke with what he considered the worst headache in his life. He couldn’t sleep last night. The newest recruits deserted just one week before their trial, and for some reason he didn’t quite understand, the whelps decided to celebrate their parting with a late party at the mead hall.

It wouldn’t have been that bad if he didn’t have the enhanced senses that come with the beastblood. Locking up himself in his room wasn’t enough to escape the drunken rabble upstairs. Torvar was as loud as hell and even if he didn’t say a thing, he could hear his clumsy, drunken steps or hear him crash with every table, rack or door in the way. Njada and Athis brawled again and the frenzy cheering of the spectators was worse than ever. There was also Ria, whose clearly alcohol intoxication emboldened her to sing a poorly, _and quite lame_, interpretation of _Ragnar the Red_. 

Then, at some point of the night, just when he thought it couldn’t get worse, Farkas came out of his room and joined the whelps upstairs playing his lute. He also re-ignited the riot with drinking contests.

Vilkas took a big breath and rubbed his temples trying to ease the pain of his head. He could not be more upset at the whelps, and _at his brother_ for encouraging their behavior. Aside the headache, he felt his body grinded, as if he was the one who drank against Farkas last night. 

Now that everything was, at last, quiet, he tried to get some sleep, and see if he could recover getting some denied rest. But it was useless, his mind was restless and his body on edge, feeling a growing need to hunt... _and to change._

Frustrated for that, he woke up and started to put on his armor. Maybe he could forget about _those needs_ if he started his daily tasks. After he washed his face and was all dressed, he came out of his room and knocked as hard as he could to the door across.

_”FARKAS, FARKAS, ARE YOU AWAKE?”_-He said aloud while knocking on his brother’s door. “_Of course you’re not_”- He thought and kept knocking. He only stopped when he started to hear some shuffling from the inside and waited for his brother to answer the door.

Farkas opened the door rubbing his eyes with his fingers. _”Vilkas.”_\- He yawned. - _”What is it brother?”_\- He said and Vilkas felt a strong smell of mead emanating from his mouth that almost made him dizzy. 

_”Arrgh, What’s wrong with you? Did you sleep with Torvar?”_\- Vilkas said disgusted, waving his hand in a futile effort to dissipate the smell.

Farkas turned his head over his shoulder and quickly scanned his room, forcing his eyes to get open. Then he turned back to his brother. -“_Not that I know of_”.- He shrugged.

Vilkas sighed and rolled his eyes. _”Do you have the book I borrowed you the other day?”_\- He said with an upset tone in his voice.

_”Oh, sure. Mmm, let me see...”_ Farkas got back into his room, making a big effort to keep his balance. 

Vilkas saw him peeking under the bed and grabbing the book that was below one of the legs, leaving it uneven and squeaking to the slightest movement. 

_”There you go brother, thanks!”_ \- Farkas said while handing the book to his twin. 

_”What? That’s what you wanted it for?!”_\- Vilkas snarled and snatched the book from his brother’s hands. 

”_Well, what do you wanted me to do? My bed broke after a passionate night with..._ ” -

_”Stop!”_ \- Vilkas cut him off. _“I didn’t ask!”_

Farkas smirked and Vilkas stood in an awkward silence before the first got inside his room again and laid down on his squeaking bed. 

_”Close the door, would ya? I’m getting some more sleep, I’m so tired”_ \- Farkas yawned and covered himself with furs.

_”I bet.”_\- Vilkas thought. He closed the door and leaned against the wall, reading his book. He paid attention to his brother’s heartbeats and waited until he was asleep. Then he stood in front of the door and started knocking again, this time harder, louder, _angrier_.

_”FARKAS, FARKAS, I NEED SOMETHING ELSE!”_\- Vilkas said and could hear how Farkas suddenly awoke. His heart pounding fast.

After some seconds he opened the door abruptly. -_”Vilkas, WHAT THE FU...”_\- Farkas was saying when he saw the angered expression on his brother’s face. He _knew_ that look. He breathed out and placed his hand on his face, rubbing his nose this time. _”Oh. You’re going to keep doing that, don’t you?”_\- He asked.

_”Probably.”_ \- Vilkas said.

_”Alright, alright, I’m getting up. Look for someone else to torture.”_ Farkas sighed and closed the door.

Vilkas nodded and then walked towards the mead hall. He left his book on a bookshelf that was on the hall, way to the whelp’s room, and grabbed a metal goblet and plate. 

Once he arrived to the whelp’s room he started to hit hard the plate with the goblet, trying to get the hardest, most annoying noise they could make. Ria and Njada suddenly awoke, as frightened and disconcerted as if it were a dragon that was burning down Jorrvaskar, and in the other room, Athis fell down from his bed.

_”TIME TO TRAIN!”_\- Vilkas shouted. - _“Bring your hangovered asses to the trainingyard. I’ll make sure you sweat off every drop of mead you’ve ever drunk!”_ \- Vilkas said and threw the plate and goblet to the floor, leaving a loud clatter resonating throug the stone walls.

After awaking the whelps, Vilkas went upstairs and grabbed a bunch of boiled creme treats from the mead hall before going out to the training yard, where he saw Torvar fast asleep in a bench. Vilkas sighed and shook his head, he felt embarrassed, this is not how the Companions are suppose to behave. He approached to the bench and pushed Torvar with his foot, making him turn over and fall, hitting his nose hard with the floor.

An “_Ooow_”, was all he could say before Vilkas yelled at him: - _“On your feet now!”_\- 

When the other young warriors showed up, he asked them to get their dummy weapons and to form a line.

_”Wait, we’re not having any lunch?”_ \- Torvar asked.

_”Oh, my apologies, I wouldn’t make you fight with an empty stomach. Can I wait you here?”_ \- Vilkas said, but the whelps seemed to have missed his sarcastic tone as they looked at each other wondering if they should answer the question or not. 

Vilkas sighed and rolled his eyes _“I don’t care!”_ \- He yelled. _”We have work to do! So stop crying. Unless anyone else decides to leave and free us from his whining.”_

The whelps flinched and shook their heads as a response to the sudden yelling. Torvar was about to say something but Njada nudged him so hard that she took out the air of his lungs and made him bend. 

_”That’s what I thought. Now, you know what to do, swing your blades. Watch your footwork. Strike. I want to see your forms.”_ \- Vilkas said and left the whelps training their offensive tactics. He approached the nearest wall and leaned towards it, crossing his arms. After some minutes, he started to rub his temples again. His headache was getting worse and the pathetic sight of the whelps’s poor forms just made him feel angrier, they looked more like headless chickens than the junior group of the Companions. He sighed _again_, and shook his head.

_”Come on! That’s all you can do? Don’t make me go and slit your throats with a wooden sword!”_\- Vilkas shouted.

The whelps flinched again and tried to correct their forms. 

_”Ugh! What’s his problem?”_ \- He heard Njada whisper.

_”He’s just preparing us. If we’re going to be great warriors, we need to endure anything.”_ \- Athis said.

_”Tsk! I think he’s angry for the other whelps leaving and is just taking that out with us”_ \- Njada dismissed Athis’s theory.

_”That’s why I told you we had to go to the Bannered Mare yesterday.”_ \- Athis reproached.

_”He shouldn’t be like this. What we do in our free time is our business.”_ \- Njada growled. 

_”He’s been angrier lately. I wonder if he’s fine.”_ \- Athis said concerned.

_”Pfff! I think he needs to get a girl”_\- Torvar said louder than expected. Athis and Njada moved away, trying to leave Torvar alone in case Vilkas listened and wanted to take off his anger on him.

_”That wouldn’t be that bad you know. ”_\- Njada said after a minute. She was thinking about what Torvar said earlier.

Njada had picked Ria’s interest, who was trying to practice her footwork. -_”What do you mean?”_ \- She asked and Athis seemed to be waiting for an answer too. 

_”Ugh, Well.. I’m going to tell you because you haven’t been long enough to know it._”- Njada said and then gestured Ria and Athis to get closer to hear her whispering. The whelps obliged intrigued. -_“But when he’s with a girl, he changes completely, he becomes sooo..._”- Njada was about to say something else but she was interrupted.

_”Njada! If you want to gossip go and serve in the Bannered Mare! Your offense is not exactly your strength, so keep training!”_\- Vilkas shouted.

_”Ugh! How does he...?”_ \- Njada flinched and turned to see Vilkas, he was far enough and couldn’t have heard them... right?. 

_”Shhh!”_ \- Ria shushed her. - “_I think is enough now, let’s just focus on training or he will have us here all day without eating._”

_”I’m telling you guys! Aim for the one in the middle!”_ \- Torvar said and the other whelps exchanged confused looks, there was just _one_ dummy in that direction. Then they saw him charge on it and hit it with the best blow everyone have ever seen him do. They exchanged looks again and slightly moved away from him.

Vilkas felt he had seen enough, at least the whelps stopped buzzing but the _real_ training was about to start. He sighed and started to walk towards the young warriors when he felt a strong arm on his chest that was impeding him to go any further.

_”Leave them to me. Kodlak wants to talk to you.”_ \- Farkas told him.

_”What for?”_\- Vilkas asked surprised.

_”Who knows.”_ \- Farkas shrugged.

_”Alright then.”_ \- Vilkas sighed and then went back to Jorrvaskar. 

Farkas looked at his brother going through the wooden doors and shook his head, then he unsheathed his greatsword and went to join the whelps.

_”Alright new-bloods, don’t tell me you can’t stand a night with a couple of drinks. Look at you!, Even Lars Battle-Born could kick your asses now.”_

* * *

Brynjolf entered to the training room to find the lass, who was practicing archery with Niruin. She was wearing the _improved_ Guilmaster’s armor she had requested. 

He remembered Tonilia complaining about how demanding the lass was about that piece of armor. She wanted it tighter but the leather made her feel uncomfortable and also made her loose mobility and stealth. They bickered about that for months until the lass had to bring her own dressmakers from Solitude to work with Tonilia. A couple of high elves in whose shop she had invested. 

The lass could be a pain in the ass when she got something inside her head, she would push everyone to their best and could get a lot of trouble with the people she worked with. But she never gave in, she knew what she wanted and did everything to get it -“_That is just the way she is._”- Brynjolf thought. Everyone doubted about her ideas at the beginning but time always proved her right, which made his stomach turn about the conversation he was about to start.

He stood some seconds to admire her new armor, and he smiled, she looked gorgeous. The suit really accentuated her _assets_ and he wasn’t the only one in the room who noticed it, Niruin could hardly take his eyes out of her. 

The lass was preparing to shoot an arrow when Niruin approached to her to “_fix_” her posture. He stood behind her, grabbed her gently by the waist and lifted a bit the position of her arms while he glanced at her neck and turned his eyes down to her cleavage.

“_That elf!. He cannot even hide it._” - Brynjolf thought and felt a sting in his chest. He coughed a couple of times to get their attention.

Niruin recoiled and turned around nervously to greet him. The lass shot the arrow and it hit the bullseye. 

_”Lass, I want a word with you.”_ \- Brynjolf demanded.

_”Sure.”_\- She said and asked Niruin to leave them alone. He went towards the door averting Brynjolf’s eyes. 

_”Still giving him hopes?”_ \- Brynjolf said once the elf left the room. 

_”Trains me for free.”_ \- The lass shrugged and shot again. Another hit in the mark.

_”It´s not like you need him, your aiming is perfect.”_ \- Brynjolf pointed out.

_”And I want to keep it that way.”_\- She still had her eyes on the target. _“I didn’t take you as the jealous type, by the way.”_\- She smirked and Brynjolf snorted.

_”What’s the matter?”_ \- She asked.- _”Was everything ok with Maven?”_ \- She said before starting to shoot several arrows. 

_”Just the usual concerns.”_ He said and the lass let out a “_Uhumm_” without looking at him, she was focusing on her practice and all her shots were hitting the target.

_”She’s running out of patience with the ‘Mjoll business’”_ \- Brynjolf raised both eyebrows and the lass missed the last shot.

_”Agh!”_ \- She cried and Brynjolf couldn’t tell if it was for the missed shot or for the mention of the nord woman. -_”Do you think you can smooth things out with her a bit longer?. I’ll deal with Mjoll as soon as I get back”_ \- She said and started another strike of shots, this time aiming to different targets.

_”So it’s true then? You’re leaving again?”_ \- Brynjolf asked, and he couldn’t hide the annoyed tone of his voice.

The lass sighed and lowered the bow. - _“It’s this what you want to talk about?”_\- She got a bit tense.

Brynjolf sighed. _”Not exactly. It’s just... I find it amazing how do you do to manage the Guild when you’re barely here.”_\- He said sarcastically. 

The lass smiled and relaxed a bit. - _“I know. I do an excellent work by leaving you in charge.”_ \- She said that to provoke him and quickly glanced to see his reaction. Brynjolf just rolled his eyes.

_”When do you leave?”_\- Brynjolf asked her, recovering his cool.

_”The day after tomorrow.”_ \- She said and resumed her archery practice.

_”Well then, you have enough time to deal with your friend before leaving.”_\- He said and looked at her. It was his turn to see her reaction. 

The lass lowered the bow again and turned to see him. _“Why are you...”_ \- She tried to reproach him but Brynjolf cut her off. -_”I’m just tired of it lass. If someone has to deal with her, it must be **you**”_ -Brynjolf said trying to keep a solemn tone, though he couldn’t hide his irritation — _”That’s if you care about your friend. Else, no one is going to answer for what may happen to her if Maven finally snaps. Vex and I are already too busy covering you to spend time babysitting any friend of yours with vigilant complexes.”_

_”Fine! I’ll do it, so calm down!”._ \- She cried and approached to a rack in the wall to leave the bow. It had been a while since Brynjolf scolded her and was not used to see him like that.

_”What else?”_\- She said, once she turned back and noticed that Brynjolf was still there, with his arms crossed.

_”I don’t even know where to start”_ \- He said.

_”Pick something or I’ll go.”_ \- She felt defeated about the _‘Mjoll issue’_ and wanted to run away from further discussions. 

_”Summerset Shadows.”_\- He said. 

_”What with them?”_ \- She asked sounding indifferent. 

_”What do you mean...”_ \- Brynjolf sighed and rubbed his eyes, her answer only made seem Maven more right. -_”They are aggressively pursuing our clients and harassing our fences! What’s next?”_ \- He scolded.

_”Of course they’re bitching around._”- The lass shrugged and Brynjolf felt upset by her nonchalant attitude. - _“I stole their fence in Windhelm, stole a locket from Linwe while he was wearing it, I could even have stolen his clothes. They got framed for a murder and made them look like idiots... just... chill out, what are you afraid of?”_\- She said, trying to downplay the issue. 

_”They went to Maven, they made her an offer, or more likely, they threatened her.”_-

_”Yeah, that sounds like Linwe’s ways”_ \- The lass nodded.

_”You’re ok with this? She’s furious.”_ \- Brynjolf said, he started to raise his voice without knowing.

_”It’s not like I’m ok with that, I’m just not worried. They lack... you know... the customer service we have.”_ \- She smiled. 

_”We need to take them out.”_ \- Brynjolf scolded.

_”No, we don’t. Something tells me, we’ll need them.”_\- She said sounding serious for the first time since they started talking. Brynjolf could only feel frustrated.

_”Need them? For what?!”_ \- He demanded.

_”I don’t know yet.”_ \- She rolled her eyes.

_”You don’t... KNOW YET?_”.- Brynjolf growled. -_“Come on lass, this is what I’m talking about, you’re our leader, the Guild depends on your decisions, we need a better answer than ‘Don’t know yet’”._\- Brynjolf said the last sentence mockingly.

The lass’s breathing fastened, he could tell how little by little she was starting to feel irritated by all this questioning. -_”Just let them be!_”- She finally said- _“We don’t know where or how we could find allegiances, and if you want to beat them, we’ll do it by being **better thieves**.”_ \- She said, her voice was starting to show anger. 

_”Maven doesn’t look it that way.”_\- Brynjolf raised an eyebrow.

_”Maven?, Maven DOES NOT OWN THE GUILD! And it’s time for her to realize that. So **stop acting like her bitch**!”_.- The lass snapped and her words made Brynjolf flinch. 

They stood in silence while the lass took some big breaths. Once she felt the anger down a bit, she continued:

_”It´s normal that she feels that way, she’s used to be our **only** support. She thinks she can be bossing us the way she does with Riften. She doesn’t like to loose power over us, but she has to get over it.”_

Brynjolf agreed with the lass, but there were other, _more subtle_ ways to send her the message. After all, if it wasn’t for Maven, the Guild would have been dismantled years before the lass set a foot on it. She just couldn’t understand, how could she?. She didn’t know how it felt to see the Guild going straight to Oblivion and not to be able to do anything to avoid it. But now, it was different, he could do something about it and he was ready to take action, even if he had to choose between the Guild and the lass. 

“_Aye Lass, you’re right._”- Brynjolf recovered his cool and sighed before he continued. -_”But so is Maven. You’ve been too absent and it won’t take you much longer to start neglecting your duties, what is worse, you seem to be taking a dangerous path and I fear it will drag us with you._”

_”She told you that?”_\- The lass frowned.

_”She doesn’t need to, I’ve though about it from some time now.”_\- Brynjolf confessed. 

_”Listen, I’ll just be absent to find this final lead, and then we can start planning the heist.”_\- She sounded excited and Brynjolf felt some guilt.

_”Listen lass, I never agreed that we should pursue this pet project of yours”._\- He sighed and shook his head.

_”Well, you don’t have to agree, just do what you’re told”_ \- She groaned.

_”That’s were you’re wrong.”_ \- Brynjolf confronted her. _”We’re a team, and you’ve been acting by your own. We discuss things, we act together. We’re not your servants and I don’t want to pursue this project.”_\- He scolded.

_”I didn’t know I had to explain this to you.”_\- The lass started to act condescending and assumed a defensive stance. _”The only city where we don’t have much influence yet is Whiterun. And that is because of the presence of the Companions. We do this heist, we get the city, as simple as that.”_

_”It’s not worth the risk. You’re talking about the Companions, lass”._\- Brynjolf crossed his arms.

_”And?”_ \- She demanded.

_”What do you think they’re going to do to us after that?”_\- He leaned towards her and raised an eyebrow.

_”I don’t see what is the problem. The Dark Brotherhood **took out the Emperor of Tamriel**. People haven’t stop talking about that.”_ \- She growled.

_”Neither they’ve stopped talking about what happened to their Sanctuary in Falkreath”_ \- He said with a sweet voice and the lass rolled her eyes, Brynjolf had a point.

_”The heist is just a part of the job Brynjolf, the other part implies how are we going to get away with it.”_ \- She tried to justify her idea. She was starting to feel hopeless. 

_”And what have you thought about that?”_ \- Brynjolf asked and the question caught her off guard.

_”I... I don’t know yet. But I need you for that.”_

_”Now, that is a surprise.”_\- Brynjolf sound fakely impressed and raised both eyebrows.

_”You mean, you’re not going to help?”_\- She asked disappointed.

_”I still don’t like it.”_ \- Brynjolf narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

_”What are you afraid off Brynjolf?_”- The lass asked. She felt she was losing the fight and drew upon hurting the nord’s man pride.

_”I’m not afraid of anything. Listen lass...”_\- Brynjolf took a pause to sigh. He took a hand to the side of his head and started to rub his temple.-_”...there is no easy way to say this.”_

_”Say what?”_\- She didn’t like the turn the conversation was taking.

_”We need someone who..._”- Brynjolf sighed again. He took another pause to reorder his thoughts. - _“We need a leader who is here to lead us, to listen to us and act thinking about us.”_

_”You mean, someone **you** can control.”_\- She was quick to say. Brynjolf sighed and shook his head. The lass could be very stubborn when she felt hurt. 

_”I’m worried about us, about the Guild... **about you.** You don’t listen to me anymore, neither you look for my advice. Divines sake lass!, I’m your second in command!”_\- He tried to reason with her.

_”All of this because I’m getting absent? I won’t leave the day after tomorrow if that is what you want.”_\- She was frowning and crossed her arms. 

Brynjolf shook his head. _”It’s too late now and... I wish it would be as simple as that, lass”_\- His voice was now low and sweet.

_”What do you mean?”_\- She asked though she could feel what was coming. 

_”I’m calling for a meeting to remove you from duty. You can of course, stay in the Guild, but not as Guildmaster. You’ll be always welcome here, but I suggest you to take time for yourself and find your own path. You’ve earned it and you need it.”_ \- Brynjolf finally said. 

The lass just stood still, not knowing what to do or what to say, she felt betrayed. She knew some people may not had liked some decisions she had made, but none of them had caused the Guild any problem, besides, the Guild had now more money than they could even spend, why would someone doubt of her?. She had been absent, yes, but she hadn’t neglected any of her responsibilities and there wasn’t any indication that she would.

She felt so many things at once and she braced herself, as if that would avoid her emotions to get over her body.

_”B..but, who will take my place then? What will happen with the pending issues... and heists?.”_ \- She frowned. Her voice started to quiver.

_”I will take over. We’ll discuss the rest in the meeting. I just wanted to give you heads up. I’m sorry we have came to this.”_\- 

Brynjolf’s answer made her feel an anger she had been trying to repress for some time. -_”You?!_\- She snorted -_“Well, at least you’ve stopped fearing commitment. You’ve finally understood that not all is enjoyment.”_\- She was glaring at him.

Brynjolf stood silent, giving her a minute to digest all. He didn’t want to engage in a fight with her, much less re-open wounds, but seeing her like that made him think that he had to say something at least.

_”You know, it has nothing to do with that.”_ \- It was all he could think of.

_”Of course not!. It never is. You just get tired of something, you throw it away.”_ \- She reproached.

Brynjolf sighed. _”Do you really want to talk about this now, lass?”_ -

_”Did you ever feel something for me.”_ \- She quivered.

_”Lass...”_-

_”Answer the damn question!... It’s the least you can do.”_ \- She said while tears began to come out from her eyes.

Brynjolf got closer to her, he cupped her face with his hand and cleaned her tears with the other. -_”Aye lass, I did... I... I still do.”_ \- Brynjolf said and she rolled her eyes.

_”How so?”_\- She turned her head and pushed his hands out of her face. 

Brynjolf looked at her into the eyes, he was not indifferent to her pain. He took a big breath and then finally said: 

_”I do love you Aghnygail, just not... in the way you want.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Vilkas is not having a good time at Jorrvaskar and neither the lass in Riften.


	5. The hunt for ancient relics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Harbinger receives dubius information about an ancient relic and Aghny plans a heist.

“_Do you have guidance for me Harbinger?_” - Vilkas asked from Kodlak’s doorway. The old man seemed to be attentively reading a letter while drinking a goblet of wine.

“_Vilkas, thanks for coming. Please take a seat._” - The old man drank from the goblet and gestured the chair in front of him.

“_You seem tired._”- Kodlak noticed once Vilkas sat. Then he folded the letter and laid it next to the goblet in the table.

“_I couldn’t sleep, not with all that ruckus from yesterday._”- Vilkas said.

Kodlak narrowed his eyes. -“_I see. Try to take it easy my boy, the whelps are starting to say that you use them as practice dummies._”

Vilkas raised an eyebrow. -“_The whelps? Or my brother?_” - He thought. “_Well, if they can’t take it, they shouldn’t have joined in the first place. Real battles are far from what they do in training, and if they’re already bellyaching, I can only think how they will end up, as their foe’s trophy._”- He frowned.

Kodlak chuckled and raised his hand, trying to calm him down and let the young warrior know that he wasn’t complaining or scolding him. - “_I know you’re just pushing them to do their best, but, look around, we haven’t had more recruits since a couple of years, and we already lost the few ones we’ve got after Ria._”

“_Harbinger, with all respect. We’re the Companions. We hold the legacy of Ysgramor and his five hundred. If we want to honor their names, we need the best, not every milkdrinker that comes here with dreams of glory or that can’t stand a training session._”- Vilkas said in a serious tone and leaned towards the back of his chair with his arms crossed. 

Kodlak couldn’t agree more with Vilkas, but these were different times. The neutral policy of the Companions discouraged many young people from joining as they preferred to fight for Ulfric and find their glory dying for his cause. Many others didn’t really know what was the difference between the Companions and other sellsword groups. 

And even if the name of the Companions was still in high regard between the Nords, the youngest generations seemed to be losing interest in the ancient order of warriors. Since the civil war started, many people felt disappointed that they were doing too little, if nothing at all, to protect the Nordic traditions, and decided to stay away from them. 

Now that the civil war was at truce, they were lucky enough to receive applications, but many of the new recruits used to quit due to the kind of job they were receiving lately, recovering stolen heirlooms were not giving them the glory they were looking for.

However, many others didn’t mind, they just wanted to fight. But they felt discouraged from the strict trainings imposed by Vilkas, and his lately mood seemed to be making the trainings more _intensive_.

“_I agree_”- Kodlak said -“_But you also should know that, to keep that legacy, we must have people. If all of us fall, there would be no one left to sing the songs of Ysgramor or to carry his legacy to the further generations._”

“_But Master!._” - Vilkas reproached. -“_To be a Companion takes more than just the heart!. I only try to make sure they really have what it takes, otherwise, they’ll end up killed in a week._”

“_I’m nobody’s Master, Vilkas._”- Kodlak sighed. He found funny how many times he had to tell him that. - “_Part of your job is to know what they need to improve so that doesn’t happen. Just relax boy, the new-bloods-to-be aren’t as bad as you say, at least not all of them. Give them time and let them surprise you. We have already lost two promising prospects._” - Kodlak stated in conciliatory tone.

Vilkas sighed. -“_They were not ..._”- It wasn’t easy for him to talk about the recruits that left. He was on charge of them and had dedicated a lot of effort in their training, so they were _his_ loss too, in a way that the others wouldn’t understand. -“_They were just a couple of sluggards who only loved adventure, killing things, and danger, almost to a point of wanting to get killed for nothing. So I’m happy they’re not my problem anymore!_”

Kodlak narrowed his eyes and listened carefully to him. He didn’t miss how the young warrior raised his voice, the recruits’s resignation must have really bothered him. 

“_Vilkas, many may come to us looking for glory or for a way to quench the desires of their burning hearts. Sometimes those hearts burn too much that they stray from the correct path. It is the job of the experienced warriors to show them the way._”- Kodlak said.

Vilkas opened his mouth to complain but he stayed silent instead, the last sentence bothered him for many other reasons. -“_I never meant to..._”- He sighed and stood silent for a second while rubbing his temple. -“_How can we guide them to the correct path if we have strayed as well._” - He finally said in a lower voice.

Kodlak smiled and took a more relaxed stance. -“_Well then, for that, we have to find our way back, and we can only do it with a cold mind. I’m counting on you to find how we can hold the legacy of Ysgramor even if we carry such a dark stain as the beastblood. And you would not be able to do so if you keep losing your temper for small things._”

“_But Harbinger!_”- Vilkas was about to defend his position but Kodlak cut him off.

“_You’re an intelligent man Vilkas_”- Kodlak narrowed his eyes and nodded. -“_Maybe the smartest I ever met. But sometimes you let your heart burn with so much bright that it dazzles your judgment. That can make you fight fiercely, which is a good thing in battle. But it also makes you vulnerable, before you know it, your heart would be ruled by despair or revenge. You can’t let that happen._”

“_My apologies. I’m just trying to..._”-Vilkas stammered. -“_You know the Companions are everything to me._”

Kodlak nodded. -“_It would be good if you, take some time for yourself, see what helps you to carry the burdens of giving up your transformations. Stop worrying for now about the whelps, talk to your brother about what they need to improve and I’ll have him take care of their training._” 

“_Yes Harbinger._”- Vilkas sighed.

“_I have something else, a task for you._”- Kodlak said as he had prepared something to compensate Vilkas.

“_Sure, what is it?_”- The young warrior asked.

“_Since you enjoy studying history, I think this task will suit you well. I’ve been receiving some letters from a scholar._”- Kodlak patted the piece of paper he was reading before.- “_Seems he had taken some interest in ancient relics and has found the locations of where some shards of Wuuthrad could be._\- He announced and Vilkas wide opened his eyes.

“_Wuuthrad? Are you serious?! We haven’t known of it from ages._”- He asked excited.

“_This scholar claims to have found two shards already and is giving us the location of other four._” - Kodlak continued in a solemn tone.

“_That would be, 6 shards plus the ones we have... Do you think they would be enough to reforge Wuuthrad?_” - Vilkas asked, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

“_I don’t know._” - Kodlak rubbed his chin.

“_What is this scholar asking in return?_” - Vilkas raised an eyebrow, this was just too good to be true.

“_I can’t be sure. Seems he just wants us to look for them._”- Kodlak took the bottle of wine and started to fill his goblet. He made a gesture to Vilkas, offering him some and when the young warrior shook his head, he proceeded to signal the water jar. This time Vilkas nodded and Kodlak started to fill another goblet with water: -“_What do you say? Do you think you can keep an eye on this scholar and see if he can be trusted? If so, we could then organize a search to retrieve the shards. Be cautious, I know ‘those’ hunters are looking for them too_.”

“_Will do Harbinger._”- Vilkas drank the water and was preparing to stand up when Kodlak slightly raised his hand, asking him to stay a bit longer.

“_One more thing Vilkas._”- Kodlak said.

“_Yes?_” - Vilkas raised an eyebrow.

“_We’re getting a visit from Windhelm today, regarding a job. We’re still deciding wether we should accept it or not, so Skjor suggested someone else from the Circle should be in this meeting. We agreed that it should be you._”- Kodlak said and Vilkas leaned back to the back of his chair, to be more comfortable.

”_I see. Who is visiting?_”

* * *

“_Not in the way you want._”- Aghny found herself mockingly repeating that phrase. -“_The fuck is that suppose to mean?_”- She asked angry. She braced herself and rubbed her arms in order to get some warmth, it was freezing and she couldn’t feel her limbs anymore, though she couldn’t tell if it was due to the cold or the uncomfortable position she was in. 

She had been hiding for hours, keeping watch at the people camping at the ruins of Korvanjund, wishing that they were less boring and give her something else to think than in Brynjolf’s words or the Thieves Guild. 

“_Guess Vex must be dancing of joy now._”- She thought. She covered her mouth with her hands and breathed, trying to warm her cold fingers. She used to avoid traveling too north because she couldn’t stand the cold.

“_Go and find your own path, you’ve earned it_”- She mocked aloud. She was angry that she haven’t brought the Nightingale armor that kept her warm in this weather. But she forgot to pack it, her departure was so sudden. She just wanted to leave and get away from Riften, and of course, she blamed Brynjolf for that.

“_Fuck you Brynjolf! Why do you always have to play the nice, sweet man when you’re just such an idiot?... I hate you!_”- She rolled her eyes. -“_I hate you, I hate you, I..._”- She took a big breath and stared to the ground. -“_...hate you._”- She whispered. 

She pondered for some minutes and then shook her head. She decided to break her watch to take a walk and stretch her legs, certaintly the men at Korvanjund were not going to do anything soon. Her mind was restless and she needed a distraction. She grabbed her knapsack and decided to scout around to collect some alchemy ingredients.

Aghny considered herself a great alchemist and liked to gather ingredients whenever she travelled. She felt it gave her more control when brewing potions and venoms as she didn’t trust much the conditions of how many ingredients were stored in some alchemy stores. Most of the times, they ended up losing properties.

She had already collected some mushrooms, herbs and even insects when she spotted a nice bunch of lavender, which was something rare to find growing in this weather conditions. She opened a bit her armor to take out a fine piece of clothing she liked to carry in her breastbands and wrapped the lavender in it. She loved the aroma of the purple flowers and smelled it deeply, feeling relaxed. 

Once she put back the fine piece of clothing with the lavender inside, she heard some footsteps. She gasped and hurried to hide to see a couple of warriors, one man and a young woman around a fire, eating some roasted rabbit they may have hunted earlier. She frowned and decided to get close and see if they had something valuable she could take.

”_Why didn’t you bring Ria? I bet she would have done everything to be alone with you._” - She heard the woman say, she sounded irritated.

The man sent her a glare. “_We decided it wouldn’t be wise to bring her or Athis in to this mission._” - He said.

“_So now we’re suppose to watch for crowns?_” - She asked almost like complaining -“_How long until we get there?_”

“_We must be close_”- The man sighed, he seemed tired of the woman’s company and was clearly making an effort to keep his patience - “_and it’s not just any crown. It’s an ancient relic made from the bones and teeth of ancient dragons. It is also said that contains some of the power of the kings who had worn it._”- 

Aghny silently snorted when she heard the man say that. -“_The Jarl must have hired them to protect the artifact from people like me_”.- She thought. -“_Finally, some fun._”-

“_Yeah, yeah, whatever. Why is this thing so important?_”- The young woman waved her hand.

“_The crown has been lost for ages, the last king known to wear it was King Borgas, back in the First Era. It’s an important symbol of leadership and power for our people._”- The man said and Aghny wondered why was he answering with such detail. The woman was obviously not interested in the history of the relic, though she was impressed that he wasn’t just a brainless brawny brute. 

”_Leadership and Power? Sounds like Ulfric has another intentions for it. I thought we were not supposed to take sides in political affairs._”

“_The Jarl assured us this is not for any political end._”- He said and Aghny stood at an angle that could give her a better look of him. -“_Hum, cute_” - She thought. He certainly was something lovely to look at. 

The warriors extinguished the fire and started to put everything away, they were going to leave soon.

“_What was the excuse he gave then?_” - The woman asked while packing some furs from the recent hunt.

“_The honor of the Companions demands us to take care of Nordic legacy and traditions. As we’re not taking any side of the civil war, Jarl’s Ulfric housecarl requested our help to watch the extraction of this ancient relic and make sure is safely delivered to Windhelm. Where it should rest and peacefully inspire our people and keep our traditions alive._ \- The man said, he was making sure the fire was completely extinguished.

“_Do you really believe in that shit? He’s going to use it to re-ignite his rebellion, once the truce is over._”

“_Our job is to make sure this artifact arrives safe to Windhelm. Whatever Ulfric does with it after that, should not be our concern. We’re not taking sides in this war. Now, let’s keep going! The honor of the Companions depends on well done jobs._” - He said while taking his greatsword, he turned and started to walk into the ruins direction. 

“_Yes brother._” - The young woman hurried to carry her things and to catch the other warrior, who didn’t seem to have any intention of waiting for her.

Aghny decided to follow them to the Nordic ruins and see if she could learn something helpful. They have been walking for minutes when a cold breeze hit them from behind. She saw how the man stood still for a second and turned his head to her direction. She froze to the unexpected turn and instinctively looked for a place to hide, though he could not see her as she was invisible. He stayed still, scanning the area with his eyes when the young woman asked him if there was something wrong. He shook his head and resumed walking.

Aghny stayed hidden for a while. She was frowning and disconcerted, he couldn’t have detected her, could he? Maybe the wind or the sound of dry leaves just put him on edge, after all, he had to be alert to everything. 

When she decided she was at a safe distance, she continued to follow them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> For a character I met for a little time I became too fond of Kodlak. It was too hard for me to say goodbye so I wanted to include him in the story, hoping that I don’t ruin him.  
He of course advises Vilkas and tries to help him assigning him tasks he might enjoy.  
And, well, Aghny is still aching for Brynjolf, but she does her best to get over it... in her own way. Not knowing that she’s about to meet someone who shares the same passion for history :P.


	6. Guarding the Jagged Crown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aghny gets signals that warns her from taking the Jagged Crown but she decides to do it anyway. She doesn’t know someone is expecting her.

_”What’s wrong brother?”_\- Njada asked. It wasn’t her thing to ask about the wellbeing of others, but Vilkas was getting on her nerves. 

He was not in the best mood when they left Jorrvaskar but he had proved to be a tolerable company before. Vilkas was a pretty good hunter, cooked delicious and Njada didn’t complain about his conversation attempts, as they were entertaining... _sometimes_. 

The trip was going well, at least until they took that little rest in the forest to eat, just before arriving to the ruins. After that, he started to act _weird...er_ than usual. He kept scouting the same, _deserted_, places and didn’t take his eyes out of every little dark corner of the nordic ruins, as if he thought there was something lurking in the shadows. He was restless, irritated and every little sound put him on edge, making him unsheathe immediately his sword. 

When Njada met Vilkas for the first time, she knew he didn’t rest that well at nights, as if he suffered some kind of insomnia. Sometimes his condition took some toll on his mood to the next day, but it was nothing compared to how he had been acting lately. He was upset at everyone and for everything, and now she was afraid that he had started to have delusions. Every Stormcloak soldier seemed to feel uncomfortable around him and she couldn’t avoid feel a bit concerned, the least the Companions needed now, was one of their elite members going wild and slaughtering a bunch of amateur fighters in a nordic ruin, for not apparent reason. 

Vilkas was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and didn’t bother to look at Njada or to answer her question. 

_”Are they done yet?”_\- He asked and she frowned.

_”The Crown. Have they recovered the Crown yet?”_\- Vilkas clarified and this time he looked at her. 

Njada just shrugged. -“_Not that I know of, but they must be close by now. The Stormcloaks told me that some reinforcements arrived just before we did. There were some powerful draugr in the last chamber, where the Crown is._”

_”I see.”_\- He said and after some silence, Njada decided to go back to the camp at the entrance, where the fire and the mead were. She thought she couldn’t do anything else for her shield brother. He was one of the most stubborn Companions and he clearly didn’t have any intention to share his thoughts with her. At least he wasn’t acting creepy anymore. She was starting to turn around when she felt his arm on her shoulder.

_”Wait sister!, Don’t leave just yet.”_\- Vilkas said and she jumped a bit in surprise. She turned back and saw him taking out a letter from his satchel. -_”I need you to give this to Galmar Stone-Fist”_

_”Stone-Fist?”_ \- Njada raised an eyebrow. She didn’t remember anyone with that name. 

_“General Stone-Fist. He is the one leading this whole operation and must be deep inside the ruins, gathering the Crown. Is the one who is wearing the bear, you won’t miss him I assure you.”_\- Vilkas had seen Galmar Stone-Fist just one time, when they met at Jorrvaskar, and he couldn’t think about any differentiating feature than what he used to wear. 

_”So, now you think I’m a courier?”_\- She asked in her usual annoyed tone and Vilkas just shot her a glare.

_”Alright, I’ll do it.”_\- She said resigned.

_“Great. Look, it’s very... VERY important that you do it as soon as you see them return from the inner chamber.”_ \- He said and then leant over to tell her in a lower voice: _“Tell him to be completely discreet about this. Can you do that?”_

_”Sure”_\- Njada rolled her eyes.

_”Thanks sister.”_ \- He said and returned to the position he was before, leaning on the wall. Njada shrugged and turned around, with the intention of going back from where she came. 

_”And Njada...”_\- Vilkas said and Njada turned her head over her shoulder, annoyed. She was about to complain when she saw her shield brother rubbing his eyes and temples, a sign of accumulated tiredness. 

_”Yes?”_\- She said trying to sooth her tone.

_”Don’t get too comfortable, we may move as soon as you deliver that letter. So, keep yourself ready, alright?.”_\- Njada nodded. Then she walked towards the entrance looking for a nice spot where she could easily see if the Stormcloacks came back with the Crown. After grabbing a tankard, she poured some mead in it and sat next to the fire, waiting for the Galmar in question to come back.

* * *

Aghnygail arrived to the fort’s surroundings and started to look for a comfortable place where she could leave Frost. She was tying him up when she felt a sudden swift in the winds. Aghnygail shivered and stood still for a second, before deciding to let the fine steed loose. In other times she would have just quit her mission, re-think it or re-schedule it, warnings like this weren’t to be taken lightly. She was the agent that had the best affinity with the darkness and took special attention to this kind of signals. It was a special link to the shadows that neither Brynjolf or Karliah had and she always wanted to take the best advantage of her abilities. 

But this was a different situation, she desperately needed to prove herself, and relied on this mission to do that. If she succeeded, then she would get Brynjolf to swallow his words, and maybe... get an apology. Even if she wouldn’t want a restitution into the Guild, it would be nice to see him accepting a mistake for once. She was looking forward to scrub her success into his face. He, Delvin and Vex would regret their distrust and to have doubted her judgement. 

With that on mind, she continued with her plan. She approached to the fort and started to observe from a safe spot the patterns of surveillance of the guards. It was a boring habit that required a lot of time and patience, but this had proved to be a great tactic that ensured her success and it also had placed her above Vex as best infiltrator. 

As time passed, she yawned trying to remember when was the last bothersome mission she had. She could give the title to the Goldenglow State job, when she just joined the Guild. Mercer had assigned it to her hoping she got killed just because he felt a shift of the winds the first time they met. 

Aghny frowned. Thinking about it, there were some things she didn’t like about this heist, but she didn’t want to back off from it either. It was one of her pet projects after all and she had spent a lot of effort, not to mention the _Guild’s resources_, to know about this relic and its location. This _seemed_ to be a great opportunity. She was lucky enough to hear Galmar Stone-Fist that before delivering the artifact to the Jarl, he wanted to make sure it was authentic. They would be moving the Crown to the nearest fort where an appraiser was waiting for them. The location had limited space, so he picked some men to protect the item and dismissed the rest of the people. 

So, the legendary Jagged Crown was being evaluated in the fort just ahead and the surveillance was cut in half. Taking it would... _should_ be easier than having taken it in the ruins, besides, it will have the appraisal bonus. It would be humiliating having gone through all this trouble to get a fake artifact.

And, if she decided to leave now, she wouldn’t be sure if she could have another chance to put her hands on such a rare and valuable item as the Jagged Crown. Of course she knew they would get it to Windhelm, but she needed to take it before it was delivered to the Jarl, otherwise, the Stormcloacks would blame the Imperial Legion and the truce would be at stake. She didn’t want to needlessly heat things between the the Civil War’s factions, which would risk the stability that had brought wealth to the cold wasteland she now called home.

Some movement at the fort brought Aghny back from her toughts. Another guard shift was about to start and that meant her last opportunity to get in, so she had to make her mind at once. Aghny sighed, and started to grab her things. After some moments she walked towards the fort, deciding to be extra careful for whatever the shadows were trying to warn her.

* * *

Vilkas was trying to get some rest at the room he was assigned at the fort. He was lying on the bed with the wrist on his forehead. There was something about the scent that followed them from the forest that had him pondering all the time. At the beginning he had thought the wind may had carried a distant smell of someone who worked in an apiary, but after they continued their way, he could detect another heartbeat. Someone had joined their party at the forest and followed them to Korvanjund, where he, _or rather a she_, stayed hidden and undetected, at least by the others. 

_”That scent. I’ve never... It’s nothing I’ve ever smelt on anyone before”_. - Vilkas thought. It was something different, something that was hard for him to describe. He could say that it belonged to a woman for sure, a somewhat sweet, deep and cheerful scent with tones of sensuality. It reminded him the smell of mead in a cold night, in the comforting warmth of the fire pit at Jorrvaskar’s main hall.

Vilkas closed his eyes and tried to imagine the mysterious woman who had been following them. It was a pleasant scent, but how pleasant could she be?, he raised an eyebrow as he wondered.

She was certainly a criminal, and he would need to take her to the Jarl’s men. She could be a thief, a spy or an assasin. He sighed, hoping not to encouter the latter, as a fight with one could get ugly. If he had to choose, he preferred not to spill blood, as it increased the desires of his wolf. On the other hand, if she was a spy or a thief, then she could be as slippy as hell and he would need to use _his gift_, as Aela liked to call their enhanced senses, to track and subdue her. That also urged his desires to hunt and to kill in beast form, though to a lesser extent. 

Vilkas grimaced. This job was supposed to take him away from his beast blood worries. According to Skjor, this was an easy mission that he might enjoy and should allow him to rest. Vilkas sighed. He got up from the bed and stretched his muscles. It was about time to patrol again and he was sure that he would meet the intruder in this last shift.

Vilkas was walking through the dark halls of the fort when he suddenly stood still. He shook his head and chuckled silently with satisfaction. His nose had caught a pretty fresh trail of the mysterious scent from the forest, his girl was on the fort. As he followed it, he breathed deeply in relief, as the scent was leading to one of the storage rooms. She was after the Jagged Crown. 

When he reached the storage room, he found a woman kneeled in front of a master chest, trying to pick its lock. She was so focused on it that she didn’t notice she just had gotten company in the room. He entered silently and closed the door. This time, the sound made her gasp and turn her head, finding him guarding the only exit rout with his sword unsheathed. 

_”I was wondering when were you going to show..._ Vilkas couldn’t finish his phrase as his sight was drawn to the prettiest eyes he had ever seen in his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> I know this chapter took me like forever to write, but, I guess I was falling to much under the pressure of how Vilkas and Aghny would meet. :O
> 
> I hope you’ve enjoyed it and Happy New Year!! XD


	7. In the hall of darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aghny’s heist doesn’t go well as Vilkas has detected her and plans to take her to justice. How much luck would she need to get away from this?

Time stood frozen for Aghnygail and Vilkas as they stared at each other in surprise. Aghny never thought she could have been detected and Vilkas wasn’t expecting to see her wearing that tight suit that exposed every curve of her body.

Aghnygail smirked when she noticed that the warrior was making an effort to keep his eyes from traveling through her body and she took the opportunity to evaluate him as well. She recognized him from the forest, he was the same man that didn’t allow her to do much in the ruins of Korvanjund, as he appeared to be everywhere she went. He was an attractive man, with a strong build, a confident stance and a fierce gaze. She was sure that he wouldn’t doubt in cutting her in half in case she made a sudden movement and that he wasn’t the bluffing kind. He meant everything he said wether spoken or communicated with his body. 

She also noticed that he was there to take her alive though he could kill her if she gave him the right reasons. Aghny felt a shiver going through her spine to the idea of having a bit of fun flirting with danger.

And regarding Vilkas, well, he wasn’t the kind of man who was easily intimidated before a woman, but this girl was making him sweat. She seemed to be enjoying to be taking her time to look at him and her prolonged gaze was starting to make him feel nervous, though he never showed it. It was like if she was undressing him with her gaze and getting pleasure from what she saw, all without his consent. He suddenly understood why The Companions received so many requests from harassed women to beat up Mikael, the annoying bard of the Bannered Mare.

_“Alright woman, stop what you’re doing right now.”_ \- Vilkas broke the silence that was starting to be uncomfortable. -_“You’re coming with me, and... don’t try anything unless you want to get hurt.”_-

Aghny looked at his eyes and gave him a mischievous smile. Then she completely turned around to face him and sat over the master chest. She crossed her legs sensually and put her wrists together, then slightly leaned over, giving him a better look of her cleavage while surrendering her hands.

_”What are you up to, woman?”_\- Vilkas asked, trying to keep his cool.

Aghny tilted a bit her head and raised an eyebrow. - “_I’m surrendering. Wasn’t that what you wanted?_”- She said in the tone of voice she used when she flirted with Brynjolf.

_”Save your charms, they won’t work with me.”_ \- Vilkas said and Agny smirked. 

_“So you don’t like submissive women, huh?. That’s fine, I’m not exactly...”_ \- Aghny said but Vilkas cut her off.

_“That suit must be cutting hard your breath if you think I would be ever interested in you!”_\- He scowled.

_“Oh, you will be. After you see how much fun we can have together.”_\- Aghny smirked.

_-“STOP IT!. I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!”_. Vilkas snapped and he made her flinch a bit.

_“Alright, alright. What’s the use of being so hot if you’re so boring.”_\- Aghny widened her eyes and extended both hands in front of her, trying to calm him. 

_“Now come here!, Before I change my mind and decide to sever your lovely head from your shoulders.”_ \- Vilkas demanded.

Aghny scoffed and then shook her head -“_I don’t think so.”_ \- She looked at him in the eyes and gave him one last smile before she turned invisible.

Vilkas rolled his eyes. 

“_I told you before, that won’t work!._”- Vilkas sighed- “_I’m warning you woman, I’m running out of patience!_”- Vilkas groaned and then stood silent, paying attention to any sound she could make so he could guess her location. He gave it to her, she was as silent as a Khajiit, but she would need more than that to get away with such cheap tricks. He took a big breath and tried to focus all his attention into his senses, he wouldn’t be able to smell her scent that easily, as there were not air currents inside the room, but he could still smell her heartbeat. 

Vilkas huffed and turned immediately, slashing hard the space behind him with his greatsword. Aghny, who was trying to surprise him from there, turned visible as she hardly dodged the mighty slash. She stepped back perplexed.

_”How the fuck did you...”_\- She stammered and Vilkas took advantage of her confusion. He suddenly held his sword by the blade and hit her in the nose with the pommel.

The strike sent Aghny backwards as she cried in pain. She saw stars and, while she covered her nose, she lost her balance and fell. 

“_FUCK!_”- She cried. -“_That’s not a way to treat a lady!_”- She managed to complain, despite the disorientation she felt. 

“_That’s because there’s not lady here!_”- Vilkas scolded, though he couldn’t avoid to feel some guilt, he had hit her harder than expected.

Aghny looked at him, expressing all her anger through her watery eyes. -_“What’s lacking here is a gentleman, you.. brainless brute!”_\- She scowled.

“_Stop whining woman, you had it coming. Now, for your own sake, surrender... for good_“-

“FUCK YOU!”- Aghy yelled and disappeared again. 

“_Not this again_”- Vilkas exhaled deeply and returned to a defensive stance, waiting for another surprise attack. This time, however, she didn’t care about sneaking anymore and he could see her move. It was something that usually happened when someone casted an invisibility spell and moved quickly. He has seen this many times when he had to clear necromancer covens, once they felt overrun, they used invisibility to run away or to take cover, as the cowards they were. But it always was some kind of transparent blurriness. This girl looked like a scattered cloud of dark smoke and didn’t seem to be running away. 

He was trying to follow her with his sight when he felt a hard hit into his ribs that took the air out of his lungs. The strike made him fall to the ground. He was still recovering his breath and trying to stand up when she hit his face with the pommel of his sword, just as he did before to her, only that she wasn’t measuring her punches and used all the force in the strike. 

Everything went dark for Vilkas but he didn’t loose his conscience. He rolled away and stood up once he got enough distance from her. He opened his eyes and saw her standing right in front of him, ready to cut him into pieces with his own sword. 

He wiped the blood from his nose and sneered at her, who seemed disappointed to see him standing. She huffed and then charged towards him. Vilkas just waited until she was close enough to move aside and grab her from her arm. It was easy for him to dodge her attack and remove the sword from her hands. He tried to pin her to the wall, but she slipped away from his grab.

Vilkas tried to hold her a couple of times but she kept getting away, and every time he managed to make her fall and push her against the ground, she always found a way to make him roll out and get free. He deeply exhaled, he knew this was not going to be easy but he wasn’t expecting to meet such a stubborn woman, though he admired the fire of her heart. She could get away easily from his hold and knew perfectly how to dodge any attack, but she wasn’t exactly an offensive fighter. She was sloppy and predictable and that was just making her tire herself out, while he could easily fight for hours.

They kept struggling for some more time when he saw that her movements became clumsier due to fatigue. He waited until she charged towards him again and put his foot in her way to make her trip. This time, he was fast to straddle on her back, so his weight could make her stay still. He pinned her arms on her back and push her head to the ground, so she could not find any way to get free. She was clearly tired as she put little resistance. 

She was panting hard and Vilkas started to feel a strange sensation invading his whole body. Having overpowering her was making him go hard. After he tied her hands, he moved back a bit to sit on her tights. He couldn’t avoid to stare at her pretty figure and his pulse went fast. As he was staring at her cute ass he felt the sudden need to bury himself in her. 

He tried hard to be discreet and keep his cool but Aghny noticed his sudden interest in her.

_”You like what you see there?”_ \- She smirked.

Vilkas took his eyes out of her and helped her to kneel. - _“You wish someone like me laid an eye on you.”_\- Then he got closer and whispered to her ear - _”But you’re not so lucky.”_

_”What do you know about my luck?”_\- She asked. Vilkas’s whisper had hit her sweet spot in her neck and she was getting aroused. The new scent was wasn’t lost by Vilkas’s enhanced senses.

_”Just... shut up and stand.”_ \- Vilkas said trying to repress a pant and Aghny leaned bit to gently rub her ass against his cock.

Vilkas couldn’t supress a faint sound of pleasure. It felt so nice, as if that cute ass of hers was naked against the front of his pants. -“_Stop this woman!_”- He said and Aghny turned her head over her shoulder to give him a naughty look.

“_Stop what?_”- She asked and then rubbed herself a bit harder against him. Vilkas groaned and push her by the waist, though he couldn’t get her far from him.

“_STOP IT, DAMMIT!_”- He grunted. Aghny leaned forward and rested her head in the ground, keeping her ass in the air. _”Or what?”_\- She asked defiantly.

Vilkas got stunned by that gorgeous look of her. The tight leather suit she was wearing looked as if it was painted, and it felt like that too as his hands made his way up to her back and to her breasts. 

He felt his cock to painfully throb as he heard her moaning to the way he caressed her hard nipples. 

“_Untie me_”- She said.

Vilkas snorted. He didn’t have any intention to do so. He leaned closer to her and buried his nose into her hair, then moved his head gently to rub his nose against her neck. He felt her shiver. Vilkas inhaled deeply, she smelled amazingly good. 

He felt intoxicated by her smell and the more he was near her, the more he felt drawn by her. He moved her gently to the side so he could face her. Her leather suit was becoming annoying and he started to look for a way to get rid of it and expose her soft skin, even if he had to rip it apart. 

As his hands kept exploring her body, Vilkas suddenly felt himself surrounded by a darkness that was dragging him in to desire. It felt so good, that for a second he wanted to let himself go and surrender to pleasure, he just couldn’t have enough of her. But there was something familiar about _this darkness_. 

It resembled to the sensation that he always felt when he heard the call of the blood. But instead of giving into the instincts of the hunt, he had the need to give himself to pleasure, like a call of desire. 

He gasped and stood still once he realized about the similarity. This couldn’t be good. He started to resist this call too, the way he resisted the other, no matter how much he wanted to give in. He felt a great pain as he struggled, but his will was stronger and he finally broke free from the darkness grasp. 

He could see how the shadows that were surrounding him started to recede and revealed a small female figure in front of him, kneeled before the master chest where the Jagged Crown was supposed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!!
> 
> Thank you very much for your comments on the previous chapter, my inner critic was being a bit hard on me. So I’m very happy that you liked it.
> 
> This time I was more relaxed to write the next part of Vilkas and Aghny’s encounter. I hope you like it and thanks for following the story.


	8. The Nightingale Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vilkas breaks free from a spell Aghny casted upon him to keep him busy while she tries to get the Jagged Crown. But once she opens the chest she finds an unexpected surprise.

_“You broke free from it?... Impressive”_\- Vilkas heard the girl say. She was kneeling in front of the master chest trying to pick its lock. 

“_What in oblivion...?_”- He asked. He felt extremely confused and was lying on the floor. It was hard to see something or to keep his eyes open, as if he were inside a dark room for a long of time. He tried to get up but he couldn’t keep his balance. His head was spinning, he felt as if he had challenged Farkas to a drinking contest.

_”I’d stay still if I were you”_.- She said after she saw him tumble. She looked at him from time to time without turning her head. She was trying to keep her attention on the lock, it was the trickiest lock she had ever tried to pick. 

Vilkas felt his heart racing, his head was pounding and he was panting. Despite all that, he managed to sit down. -“_What did you do to me?_”- He asked while bringing his hand to the bridge of his nose to rub it.

Aghny scoffed. -_“YOU did THAT to yourself.”_\- She said, and then shook her head. -_“Have you ever awoke where you’re not supossed to?”_\- She glanced at him and smirked. -“_Well, that’s what happens when you do that._”- She said raising both eyebrows and waving a bit her head.

Vilkas exhaled deeply, he rubbed his eyes and blinked hard, forcing his eyes to get used to the light. _So it was all a dream_. He could not tell if what she said was true, he had never been able to fall in a deep slumber since he got the beastblood, many years ago.

_“So... it wasn’t real?”_\- He asked.

“_That depends on what you consider real._”- She shrugged.- “_You seemed to be **really** enjoying it from here._”- She gave him a naughty look over her shoulder. 

Vilkas grunted. He felt his cheeks burn. He quickly placed both hands over his face, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to cover any sign of it. 

_“I’ve never heard of someone who had ever resisted it.”_\- She said and in that moment the lockpick she was using, broke. She grunted frustrated and looked for another one from her satchel. Vilkas’s eyes were more used to the light and didn’t miss how her hand was slighly shaking. 

Vilkas smirked to see her struggling to pick the lock of that chest. Going to all that trouble to make Galmar bring the best chest he could find in such short amount of time was worth it at the end. He inhaled deeply and felt how his dizziness was starting to give in, though his arms and legs felt weak, as if he had spent the last night training until tiredness. He stared at her and noticed that despite her cynic attitude, she was starting to feel uneasy. Her heartbeat increased and her hands were shaking a bit. -“_Maybe you’re not as good as you think you are._”- He scoffed.

Aghny felt a pinch in her pride and shot him a glare. He looked pale and still showed signs of disorientation. It was like seeing a drunkard getting over a big hangover. However, he had stopped swaying and could make his eyes meet hers without problem. His breath was also getting back to normal, no doubt that he was quickly recovering. 

She huffed and forced herself to ignore him to get back to the lock, she knew she was running out of time. However, it proved to be a difficult task. She couldn’t stop thinking how could be possible for a simple mortal to resist a _Nightingale spell_, much less to recover that fast from whatever effect it may have had. Brynjolf have told her that it felt pretty terrible when he tried to resist the spell Mercer casted upon him, the one that urged him to kill Karliah, and that it took him a couple of days to get over the _after-effects_.

“_You have a strong will, I’ll give you that..._” -She mumbled to herself, but Vilkas’s enhanced ears caught her sweet voice as if she was whispering directly to his ears.

“_You know, you shouldn’t have come here if you’re not up to the task._”- Vilkas said. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do much, even if his head had stopped spinning, he was still feeling weak. However, he realized that just as he had fallen under the effects of whatever magic she had used on him, she was responding to what he was saying to her.

“_So, that’s how you wanna play now?._”- She said disgruntled.

“_I don’t play. I just get bored when I have to face someone so incompetent like you._”- He said.

Aghny huffed. -“_Yeah?, I’m not the one who is..._”- She couldn’t finish what she was saying, suddenly something about the lock snatched all her attention.

“_Just give up and stop wasting your and my time._”- Vilkas continued after a moment of silence. He was determined to earn some time distracting her, but she interrupted him.

_”Shhh, I’m almost...”_ \- She shushed him and let out a big breath of satisfaction, the lock was finally open.

She opened the chest and held the top. She explored its insides with the same enthusiasm of a child when given a present. But every sign of excitement vanished as soon as she grabbed the only piece it contained: _A Cooper and Onyx circlet_. Aghnygail stood still, frowning, staring at the circlet in her hand and turning it from time to time, wondering if the Jagged Crown wasn’t under the effect of an illusion spell. Meanwhile, Vilkas scanned quickly the room looking for his greatsword, only to notice that it was next to her. 

_”Damn.”_\- He thought.

“_What is this?_”- She whispered, there was a subtle tone of disappointment in her voice.

“_Not what you’re looking for?_”- He sneered and raised an eyebrow. 

The young woman frowned and looked at him. -“_Where is The Jagged Crown?_”- She demanded.

Vilkas scoffed, certainly thieves never expect to be played as they’re the ones who usually do the tricks. She looked so humiliated that Vilkas felt some sorry for her. He could swear that tears would come out at any time from those pretty eyes of her. But his sympathy didn’t stopped him from acting cocky.

“_You won’t find it here._”- He finally said.

“_What do you mean?_”- She quivered. 

_”I mean that, as I was saying before, you’re just wasting your and **my** time. The crown IS NOT H-E-R-E.”_\- 

Aghny suddenly felt a great weight under her shoulders and a lack of air in her lungs. She placed both hands over her face and dropped to the ground as she exhaled deeply. -“_Do you mean... all of this... was just a decoy?_”- She asked.

“_You’re a slow one, aren’t you?_” - He said and Vilkas felt her heartbeat fasten. She suddenly moved out a hand from her face and shot him a glare with the eye that was not covered. Deception and frustration were not the only emotions he was making her feel. 

“_And, you think you’re so smart?_” - She scowled.

“_Smarter than you, yes._” - He said keeping all his cool. 

She was obviously upset and Vilkas could feel the gradual increase of her anger. Nonetheless, she looked so defeated. She was still sitting on the ground, leaning her head to the chest, staring at the ceiling with one hand covering part of her face. Probably suppressing the urge to cry. Vilkas narrowed his eyes, it was obvious that her pride was pretty hurt. After all the care she had put to get to the decoy, she was now acting pretty careless. She was just lying there while he was still a threat she had to face. 

“_Don’t cry, you did this to yourself... that’s what happens when you’re not up to the task._”- Vilkas said. By that moment he had regained all his strength. 

Vilkas didn’t have any reason to maintain the conversation, but there was some need, _a strange need,_ that urged him to keep talking to her. When she didn’t answer and kept ignoring him, the words just kept popping inside his head. For some unknown reason he wanted to hear her voice, so, he continued talking: 

“_When I noticed you following us in the forest, I knew you were up to no good, so I took measures._”- He said but there wasn’t any change on her. -“_And you had no suspicion at all. Are you sure..._“- He continued but this time he was interrupted.

“_Fine, fine Companion!..._”- She snapped -“_You’ve made it. Suppose you want me to reward you with a sweetroll?._”- She finally said.

Vilkas scoffed. She had stopped looking at the ceiling and was looking at him. She looked fierce and kinda cute. They stood still like that and didn’t notice that they were staring at each other until Aghny broke the silence.

_”Just tell me, how the fuck do you keep detecting me?”_\- She said angry, pointing at him with her finger.

_”I’ve told you before, maybe you’re not as good as you think you are.”_\- He said.

Aghny huffed again. No doubt she was getting pretty pissed of hearing that.

“_I’m the fucking best at what I do!._”- She yelled but Vilkas just raised an eyebrow as a sign of disbelief. -“_Now, shut up before I put this inside the least honorable of your body._”- She said and showed the Copper and Onyx circlet to him.

“_I want to see you try._”- He said and smiled. Before she realized it, he was going for her.

“_Ow, shit!_” - Was the only thing she managed to say before rolling out to avoid him. She tried to crawl her way out but she felt that he grabbed her leg, making her loose balance and strike her face to the ground. He dragged her close to him and turned her body so he could straddle on her hips and pin her arms to the ground. 

Vilkas hold her tight, thinking about how easy was to catch her this time. She just rolled her eyes and raised her hips with such force that made him go forward. The next thing he knew was the feeling of his nose striking against the floor and the little body below him making him roll out. In less than a second she placed herself at the top, making his heart skip a beat. However, she didn’t give him time to think about the sensation in his chest because she stood up fast and walked away.

He was still a bit confused by the whole maneuver when he turned his head and saw her next to the opened door.

“_And I was under the impression that you were a smart guy. This was not smart at all!_”- She said before turning invisible.

Then he heard her steps moving away through the hall and felt a pinch in his heart as her scent fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again!!
> 
> So, Vilkas breaks free from Aghny’s seduction spell, or at least, that is what he thought.


	9. The Fine Piece of Cloth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days have passed and the image of the girl Vilkas met at Fort Dunstad begins to fade, but his interest on her just increases. He wonders if its still the effect of the spell she casted upon him and keeps close a fine tissue that carries her scent.

It was a fine piece of fabric. A square shaped cotton cloth so soft on the touch, that it almost felt like the caress of a flower’s petal. It was warm but it felt fresh, and was so delicate, that it easily took the shape of what it was below. It also had some initials embroidered in one of the corners: ASV. But what kept Vilkas’s nose on the fine tissue, was not the fineness of the cloth or the nice smell of lavender, but the _sweet scent_ of its owner.

It was a pleasant scent, deep and sweet, hiding shyly from the strong smell of the purple flowers, yet standing its presence. Something about it made him want to keep his nose sticked to the cloth. It had a somewhat calming effect that made him feel good and, somehow, it had helped him to fall asleep and get a better rest for the last nights. 

It, also, reminded him of _her._

He still didn’t know why he found himself thinking about the girl he met at Fort Dunstad and why he was trying to recollect every sensation she had made him feel, even if it was the effect of a spell. In a way, he had a strange desire to see her again, hopefully under different circumstances. However he wasn’t sure if he would be able to recognize her, since the image of her face began to slowly fade away from his mind every day it passed, and soon, any memory of whole encounter would vanish as if all of it would have been a dream. _A sweet dream._

Without noticing it, Vilkas clenched the fine cloth, trying to hold every memory of her in a hope to stop them from fading away. At least he still had her fine tissue and was spending every moment he had free memorizing every note of her sweet scent.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t hear Farkas going into his room or noticed him standing quietly next to him, until he cleared his throat to get his attention.

Vilkas gasped and immediately sat in his bed to face his brother. - _What’s wrong?_ \- He asked.

“_I didn’t want to disturb you. It looked like if you were about to make love to that tissue._”- Farkas scoffed.

_“What?... No! I was...”_ \- Vilkas sighed. He felt like if he was caught doing something intimate. 

_”There...”_ \- He threw the fine cloth to his brother in an attempt to make him think that he was doing something else. - _”It’s from the thief that tried to steal the Jagged Crown... What do you think?”_ \- He said while Farkas catched the fine piece of fabric and examined it. He didn’t look impressed as it seemed like a regular tissue to him.

Farkas raised an eyebrow and Vilkas gestured him to smell it. He srhugged and held it close to his nose to inhale deeply from it. - _”Mmmmh, nice! Lavender.”_\- He said.

Vilkas rolled his eyes. - “_Deeper brother._”

Farkas took another shot at the scent. Tracking a prey wasn’t his speciality, it required a lot of concentration to separate the superficial notes of scent to focus on the prey’s essence. It took him some time to recognize the scent of a woman almost hidden behind the smell of lavender, nothing out of the ordinary, and didn’t know what Vilkas wanted to show him. - _”Oh right... There is something.”_ \- He lied to please his brother.

_”And? What do you think?”_\- Vilkas asked expectantly.

“_Still nice._” -Farkas keep smelling the fine cloth, while looking for something to say. - _“Woman... Young... Sweet...”_ -He was just saying general words and discreetly opened an eye to look at his brother’s face, he wasn’t sure what Vilkas wanted him to notice about that scent. It was just a plain, womanly scent for him. Though it wasn’t unpleasant, he didn’t feel anything special about it. Nothing that could get him attached to, as his brother seemed to be. 

“_Hum!..._” - Farkas scoffed. That last thought triggered something within him that made him smirk. He then held the tissue with both hands to scrub the fine piece of cloth against his face and inhaled deeper. -_“Mmmmmm, yes. Woman... pretty... pleasant. Was she on her... point? Her scent it’s getting me hard._” - He said with a mischievous intention.

Vilkas snatched the tissue from him. -“_How the fuck should I know!._”- He grunted and shook the tissue, trying to remove any trail of his brother’s own scent.

_I though that was the reason why you’ve been locking yourself..._-

_”IT’S NOT THAT!”_\- Vilkas cut him off. -“_I don’t... Don’t be a moron!_.”— 

Farkas chuckled. -_“Of course not! You’re too prissy for that.”_\- Farkas waved his hand and Vilkas rolled his eyes. -_“I could use it if you’d lend it to me._”- Farkas said and raised an eyebrow.

_”Just... just forget it!... You never take anything serious.”_\- Vilkas glared at him, but his intimidating expression didn’t have any effect on Farkas who seemed pretty amused. The good-natured big twin used to know all the things that triggered his brother’s hot temper, and teasing his feelings was one of them, most of all if there was a woman involved. 

Farkas had been concerned about his brother since he returned from his last job. Vilkas had been acting strange, he got lost on his thoughts and didn’t pay much attention to the poor performance the whelps showed in training, which was _pretty unusual_ in him. Farkas had tried several times to talk to him but Vilkas evaded anyone who asked anything related to Fort Dunstad, he acted angry and locked himself in his room for hours. The only thing he knew was that Vilkas was found knocked out in a room at Fort Dunstad and that when he woke up, he started to mumble nonsense. He talked about someone who infiltrated the Fort in order to steal the Crown, but that certain someone did’t leave any track, as if he were a ghost... _or an illusion_. That last word almost became banned among the Companions, because Vilkas started to get pretty irritable when someone suggested that he dreamt the whole thing under the influence of some kind of drug, wasted food or excessive tiredness. 

All that situation was embarrassing for a warrior of his rank, so no wonder why was he so reluctant to talk about it. But with this new clue, many things started to make sense, and that made Farkas feel a deep relief. At least he knew that Vilkas wasn’t losing his head for trying too hard to resist the beast blood. 

It seems that he confronted a woman with a sweet scent at that Fort, and now he wanted to know why he let her go away that easy. This was getting interesting.

“_Was she pretty?_”- Farkas asked and Vilkas stood silent, looking at him with his eyes wide open.

“_I don’t know. Does it matter?_”- Vilkas said at last. His answer was sharp.

“_I was wondering how was possible that someone would have slipped away from YOU._”- Farkas smirked and then touched his chin to send his brother a meaningful look.

“_I didn’t let her go, if that’s what you mean_”- Vilkas sounded annoyed and uncomfortable and Farkas knew that he was getting close to his brother’s limit. He could have one more question before Vilkas refused again to talk about all of this.

But before Farkas could ask anything else, Vilkas continued: -“_And I feel offended that you think I could let a criminal go just for her pretty face. I’m better than that._”-

Farkas nodded. -“_So, what are you planning to do with that?_”- Farkas pointed at the tissue.

_“I don’t know. I guess, I’d better keep it in case..._”- Vilkas sighed and suddenly stood silent. He didn’t know how much longer the spell she casted would last. As a proud Companion, a magical disease or curse, was something that he preferred to keep to himself, and wouldn’t talk about it unless he was desperate. That cloth was the only way that could lead him to her in case he needed to make her remove it.

“_In case of what?_”- Farkas asked, that sudden silence made him feel impatient.

Vilkas just shook his head. -“_Nevermind. Why are you here anyway?_”-

“_Oh! Right._” - Farkas said, disappointed of the change of subject. -“_The old man is looking for you._”- 

“_I see._”- Vilkas said, in a way relieved that he didn’t have to tell anything else to Farkas. - “_So, I’m going then, to see what the old man needs from me._”

Farkas nodded and Vilkas left the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aghnygail may be a criminal that have lived in the sewers of Riften, but who can deny that she has a fine taste?
> 
> I’m so happy that I finally finished this chapter. Hope you enjoy it ;).


	10. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aghny has a dream that makes her crave for a lover.

_There it was again. The howling._

_All she could do was to run. She felt his steps behind her and there was nowhere she could hide. Her heart was pounding so fast, it could go break out from her chest._

_Then he lunged her, threw her to the ground, pinned her arms and head to subdue her. She heard him grinning. He brought his nose closer to her nap and began inhaling, rubbing his nose through her hair and neck. She quivered._

_She felt his monstruos hand traveling by the side of her body, lingering in her waist and thighs. He lifted her ass and brought his body closer until he grinded his hips against her. An electric blast travelled through her spine that made her open her legs..._

_¿What in Oblivion did just happen?_

Aghny awoke panting at the safety of her bed with the discomfort of a wet, throbbing and demanding pussy. She just had the most weird wet dream that incorporated her total submission to a... _beast_? 

And somehow, she was enjoying it.

_”Well, you never end to learn new things about yourself._ \- She said to herself. Truth was, that she had been tense since she left the Guild, she hasn’t been resting well with those werewolf dreams, and now they were converging with the fact that she hasn’t had sex in a long time. 

But to dream, _with a beast_, well she must be getting desperate.

_What a nuissance._

Aghy inhaled deeply and placed the pillow on her face before letting herself fall again on the matress. She laid on her left side and started to rub softly her crotch with her thighs in an effort to give her needy pussy a little bit of relief. 

As she began to get wetter, she squeezed tighter her clit and pulled a bit her underwear to stimulate other areas of her vulva. Soon, she found herself moaning and panting, squeezing and rubbing, until her pussy pulsated faster and her internal walls brought her a blast of pleasure with each spasm.

While she tried to regain her breath, she clenched her legs and realized that it hasn’t been enough. She felt a great heat invading her whole body and down there, her pussy was still aching, requesting more. She knew that at this point, the only thing that could relieve it, was a cock inside her that could scratch that need away.

She smiled at the thought, and wished she was dating someone or at least have a toy she could use for that purpose. But in the absence of that, she decided to please herself again, this time with her fingers. 

Once she recovered her breath, Aghny settled herself on her back. She slipped a hand down between her thighs and stroked, sliding a finger against her little nub of tender flesh. She grunted, it didn’t feel bad, but the sensation was better when she rubbed it with her thighs. 

Then, she decided to move further and slipped her fingers past her soaked panties to explore the insides of her pussy, looking for that spot that was unceasingly itching. She stood like that for a while, clenching her thighs and fingering herself, rubbing and exploring, but she achieved nothing.

“_Fuck!_”- She punched the pillow frustrated.

Aghny just remembered that she had never pleased herself with her hand. She had always used the squeeze of her legs and always wondered how it was that other women could use her fingers. She had tried several times what others suggested, and never reached anything else but a pain for friction. 

No matter what she tried, she never got it right. Maybe her fingers were just to slim. Whatever the case, she always felt as if there was something wrong with her. 

That was until she met Brynjolf.

One of the things that she found attractive about the auburn thief, besides his charming smile, were his nice hands. She noticed them since the first time she saw him selling dubious elixirs at the market of Riften. 

Brynjolf’s hands were beautiful. They were big and strong, with long slender fingers and he always kept his fingernails clean and short. Aghny braced herself and clenched her legs, longing madly for his sweet touch. 

The memory of how he caressed her body and the mastery with which he stimulated her slit made her clench her legs tighter and arch her back. He always started to rub lightly her clit to swirl around it with his middle finger. Other times, he inserted his fingers inside her vagina and moved them in an out while circling her clit with his thumb. Though he could always gave her a wonderful orgasm, he enjoyed to get her on edge and stop, let her cool down a bit just to begin the tortuous pleasure again. All in a mischievous way to make her frenetically beg him to fuck her without mercy.

She grimaced.

She felt so horny at that moment, that she really considered to forget everything and go straight to his arms. It would be an easy thing to make him fuck her. And if he refused, it would be easy to _change his mind_.

“_But Brynjolf is out of the question!, no matter how well he fucks._” - She thought resigned. She would prefer _anything... anyone else_ than swallow her pride and going back to him. No. She was not going to let him win this too.

She breathed out, aware that her needs were starting to overwhelm her. The lack of sex was starting to take a toll on her. Though she had handled those needs by herself, the more she spent alone, the more she had the craving of a man’s touch. 

She tried to look for something that could get Brynjolf out of her mind. She stood thoughtful for a while, it wasn’t easy to find a defect on him because he was an excellent lover. Brynjolf was an expert with his hands and the abilities of his silver tongue could be appreciated beyond his dirty talking. _-“Great perks that come with his line of work, I suppose.”_\- Aghny thought. 

But there was _something_ about Brynjolf’s style that just couldn’t quench that deep fantasy she dreamed about sometimes... _like now_. He was just _too kind_, and it wasn’t easy to make him get out that _primal being_ that could make her burst in passion. 

Many other men in Skyrim could give her that, after all, it was full of hot guys and fierce warriors, but she was inclined to those with whom she could hold an interesting conversation. Someone who could stimulate her brain as much as her pussy. And that was pretty hard to find.

_”But this is not the time to be picky.”_\- She thought, but shook her head inmediately. That attitude would just make her take bad decisions in men, and from experience, she knew how much she regretted a _bad choice_. 

She sighed and decided to get over the issue by herself... _hopefully._

She started to stimulate her clit again with the squeeze of her thighs, but this time she closed her eyes, allowing her imagination to wander. She thought about how it'd feel if someone else was touching her instead. She imagined this lover kissing her with passion, stroking her breasts, nibbling her nipples and neck.

Suddenly, the image of the fierce warrior she met at Fort Dunstad appeared in her mind. Though she had loathed him, all she could think about was how good it had felt to have him trying to restrain her, how good it had felt with his body pressing on hers, and she wondered what would have happened next if she had just let him have her.

She smiled as she remembered his fierce gaze and strong build, his masculine jaw, blue eyes and wondered how his cock would be. She pictured it full hard, with a wonderful mushroom head and wondered how could it feel inside her, thrusting with all that energy and fierceness he showed her in the fight.

_”Ah yes!”_\- She moaned, while she inserted a couple of fingers, imaging it was the warrior’s cock. She started to explore herself again and this time, she found a spot that felt really nice to touch. She started to stroke it more and more, thinking about how the moans of this warrior would sound and how it would be to have him come inside her. 

She was panting and moaning, feeling that the heat in her body increased when she thought about the warrior’s cock thrusting so hard inside her. Then, she started to feel tingly and her muscles started contracting as if her pussy was trying to milk every drop of his cum. 

She ended up panting hard, covered in sweat and awfully soaked in her own juices, stinking of her sex. She had climaxed and this time, her pussy seemed to be pleased, giving her a well earned relief. 

Outside in her yard, the sun was starting to come out, but Aghny didn’t notice as she fell asleep like a rock. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> I’m now celebrating having publish the 10th chapter of this story, and I want to thank all of you for your support and for being following the story. 
> 
> Thanks and enjoy!


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